This workshop will explore the essential elements of creative nonfiction, such as sensory imagery, metaphoric language, distinctive voice, dramatic arc, and focused theme. Participants will discuss essays and memoir pieces submitted to the group. In addition, there will be readings and in-class exercises that address pertinent craft issues. There will also be opportunities to consider non-craft issues associated with this genre, such as “truth” and “memory,” and how to overcome fear when revealing intimate secrets.

About the Instructor: Jay Kauffmann’s fiction and nonfiction have appeared in numerous publications and anthologies here and abroad. Winner of the Andrew Grossbardt Memorial Prize and nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best New American Voices, he has taught at Randolph College, Vermont College, University of Virginia, and Miller School.

WriterHouse, Inc. is a non-profit organization, exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code, and registered as a charitable organization with the Virginia State Office of Consumer Affairs. A financial statement is available from the State Office of Consumer Affairs in the the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services upon request.